Jonah

[Salty Dog]

Jonah:
As early as 1611 there are written accounts that describe a Jonah as a person that bring bad luck to ship. Typically a person is marked as someone who cause bad luck to befall a ship. when it happens there is little else to do but get rid of the Jonah, as in throw him overboard. If trouble dissipates, the crew found the right person. If the trouble persists, it may be they grabbed the wrong person and the ship is now cursed by the blood of a righteous person who was killed. The crew may then decide that the only way to appease the spirit of the dead (or spright) is to toss overboard the accuser of the innocent man.

The name comes from the Old Testament of the Bible. Jonah was a prophet that was swallowed by a great fish (commonly considered a whale these days.)

In a broader sense, anything or anyone that brings bad luck is a "Jonah".

[Salty Dog]

From the New American Bible, Jonah 1: 1-16

This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me."

But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD.

The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea, and in the furious tempest that arose the ship was on the point of breaking up.
Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god. To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.

Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship, and lay there fast asleep.

The captain came to him and said, "What are you doing asleep? Rise up, call upon your God! Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish."

[Salty Dog]

Then they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune." So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah."Tell us," they said, "what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country, and to what people do you belong?"

"I am a Hebrew," Jonah answered them; "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him, "How could you do such a thing!"

They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because he had told them.
"What shall we do with you," they asked, "that the sea may quiet down for us?"
For the sea was growing more and more turbulent. Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, that it may quiet down for you; since I know it is because of me that this violent storm has come upon you."

Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not, for the sea grew ever more turbulent.

Then they cried to the LORD: "We beseech you, O LORD, let us not perish for taking this man's life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood, for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit."

Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea's raging abated. Struck with great fear of the LORD, the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.

[fleetp]

According to the Bible, Jonah eventually went to Nineveh and preached there. His preaching must have been effective, as the residents (including the king) repented.
God saw that the people onf Nineveh repented and spared them. Jonah was not happy about that.

Chapter 4 of the Book of Jonah (From the New International Version).

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”